The Trojans lost another heartbreaker to the Knights falling after an extra session.

“We did everything, but win the game,” Sturgis coach Keith Kurowski said. “We controlled the game for most of the 32 minutes. They made a few plays at the end to force overtime.”

The teams were tied at 50 at the end of regulation. About a minute into the game changed on a non-call at midcourt. Loy Norrix’ Bishop Robinson stole the ball from Jalen Cox, appearing to knock him to the floor in the process. The Trojans were called for a foul during a the ensuing scramble for the ball and when Cox questioned the call was hit with a technical.

“From my vantage point, there was heavy contact,” Kurowski said. “It was a no call.”

Robinson, who tossed in 19 points, hit all four free throws to push the Knight lead to 57-52 and the Trojans were unable to recover.

“That was the turing point in overtime,” Kurowski said. “That propelled them to the win. It was pivotal.”

Sturgis (1-4 SMAC East, 4-5) took a 15-12 lead after one quarter. Loy Norrix (4-0, 6-1) was able to trim the lead to 29-27 at halftime. The Knights jumped out quickly in the third period to take the lead pushing it to 40-35 after a 3-pointer by Davion Phillips, who finished the game with 22 points.

An offensive putback by Chance Stewart and a triple by Cox allowed the Trojans to knot the game at 40 heading into the fourth quarter.

Sturgis kept the run going building the lead to 47-40 after a basket by Stewart. Loy Norrix fought back to tie the game with a pair of Robinson free throws. The first for the All-Stater, who came in averaging 27 points per game, gave him 1000 points for his career.

In the final two minutes, both teams had chances to grab the lead, but neither could convert, including the Knights at the buzzer.

“Sometimes you play well and still end up on the losing end,” Kurowski said. “The boys competed from start to finish.”

Steve Proefrock’s team now has risen to No. 6 overall in the NJCAA Division II rankings. The Vikings are 13-1 overall and 2-0 in conference action.

“We only allowed 48 points and that will win every game you play,” Proefrock said of beating LMC.

Page 3 of 3 - Will Powell led with 23 points while Antonio Wilson chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Tyler Bell tossed in seven points, Nigel Mims and Brillon Pritchett each had six points and Antonio Hearn added five points. James Sanders added four points, Chris Jones had three points and Dan Scheske, Lee Gardner and Josh Wynn all added two points.